Update:
Kia Ora everyone! After missing our initial connecting flight to Wellington and sitting around the Auckland airport, we finally reached our final destination. The beautiful sunshine and fresh air pretty much cured all my jet lag. The city of Wellington is beautiful! It is clean, quiet, and unlike any American capital city I've seen. Our first day was spent as a group at the beach, where we swam in the ocean and jumped off a peer. We had dinner at the Karaka Cafe and enjoyed some fresh seafood, as well as trying kawakawa tea (it's like a mix of spices, with ginger being the prominent flavor). After dinner, we slowly made our way back to the hostel along the waterfront.
Day two was off to a much more energetic start than day one! New Zealand coffee is stronger than American coffee, but it doesn't have a very bitter taste. It still gave me the boost I needed to explore Wellington. We walked to a cable car, which took us up an incline and offered a superb view of the city. I tried to snap a few photos of the lighted tunnels and murals, but the car window was too dirty for my camera to focus well. I ended up with a great shot of Wellington from a distance, surrounded by the water. The cable car led us to Zealandia, which is (so far) my favorite place we've visited! It is a nature preserve filled with shags (large, black duck-like birds), tuataras (ancient lizards that look like bearded dragons, only much lazier), rare black robins, parrots, and more! The green trees and flowing water were perfect practice for someone not used to a camera (like me)! We hiked around for two hours, but I wish we could have spent more time. We even walked into an abandoned gold mine shaft, hoping to see some wetas. Wetas are basically enlarged crickets native to New Zealand. They look scary, but are actually quiet harmless (see one here).
After Zealandia, we grabbed lunch and ice cream from the food trucks along the waterfront. Next stop, Te Papa National Museum! It houses all of the national history and art of New Zealand, from Maori native culture to European colonization. It also had some pretty neat interactive exhibits, like a kaleidoscope you can make yourself and a room with colored lights you can change. We learnt a bit about Maori history since we will be staying on a Marae (comparable to a Native American reservation, but the Maori are much more prominent in New Zealand culture and government than America).
Ethics/Morality:
A large part of one of the classes I'm taking on this trip focus on the ethics and morality of environmentalism and conservation. The most admirable thing I noticed about Zealandia was its true commitment to preserving nature. They asked us to check our bags for stray seeds and plants to prevent the accidental introduction of invasive species. They have gates between the bird and tuatara areas to keep the predator/prey balance in check. However, they have such a strong opinion on conservation that they have a different balance between conservation and functionality that we do. They value their environment and stasis so much, that they drastically alter their way of life. There is even political talk of banning pet cats to preserve this balance. Outdoor cats hunt and kill many of New Zealand's flightless indigenous birds, which evolved without the presence of cats until Europeans brought them over on ships. These birds are already endangered without the introduction of cats, but pets like cats are practically a staple in human life. Shaping modern culture to conform to the environment is a different approach than American society takes to our conservational efforts, but at what point do we preserve to such an extent that we cannot enjoy what we have saved? Humans always will make an impact on the environment, and while we must protect the environment for future and value its resources, we cannot minimize that impact without minimizing humans themselves.
Te Papa had another admirable point of morality - they value Maori culture so much, that they are constantly giving pieces of their exhibits back to the tribes. For example, a Maori man had died, and according to his culture, he was to be buried with a valued piece of jade from a collection in Te Papa. The museum quickly and respectfully handed over the piece and never brought up the ownership. I think the level of respect that New Zealand shows to its native is astounding and should serve as a model in the US. The idea of "ownership" is more European than Maori, sent over with the colonial settlers. Respecting another culture to this extent made a huge impression on me, and I hope to carry that respect to our own experience on the Marae!
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